The reports about school scandals have caused concern among parents and educators.

A student was forced to drink water wrung from a board-cleaning cloth

Recent incidents have sparked controversy and led to heated discussions on the internet.

A pregnant teacher in Nghe An province was hit by a parent. A primary school student was forced by a teacher to drink water wrung from a board-cleaning cloth. A math teacher in HCM City was silent during lessons for three consecutive months. A teacher in Long An province forced students to kneel as a punishment, and in return, was forced by parents to kneel to apologize for her decision.

New orders

On April 5, Minister of Education and Training Phung Xuan Nha released a dispatch requesting schools to to ensure security in schools.

In March, a teacher at the Tan Thanh Secondary School in Yen Thanh district of Nghe An province was hit by a student’s relative and had to be treated for injuries to the bridge of the nose.

In early April, a teacher in Quang Binh province was stabbed with a knife by a student after the teacher discovered a tattoo on the student’s lips and asked him to remove the tattoo. As the male student answered back to the teacher, the teacher slapped him. The student stabbed his teacher to ‘take revenge’.

On some education forums, some parents have used rude words to criticize teachers’ behaviour and said they should be ‘taught a lesson’.

A parent commented on an education forum that Vietnam is profoundly influenced by Confucianism and the notion that students must venerate teachers, and that teaching is the most honourable career.

A VietNamNet reader in his email to the editorial board wrote that violence in schools is not only due to individuals’ moral problems but also to educational management.

The bureaucracy of the administration system and the wrong view that attaches great importance to students’ marks and achievements all have increased pressure on teachers, he said.

The pressure, plus the hard work and unreasonable pay, have increased the risk of teachers committing ethical violations.

“Once school is no longer the holy land for teachers and students, it will not be able to fulfill its educational function, but just serve as the place to prepare students for exams,” Le Quynh Hoa, a parent in Hanoi, said.